Contribution by the International Movement ATD Fourth World to the United
Nations Conference on Sustainable Development zero draft outcome document.

Eradicating extreme poverty is a necessary condition for the realization of sustainable
development. For this to be possible, the social, economic and environmental dimensions of
sustainable development must be fully integrated and treated with equal importance in
programming and delivery. It is within this context that the International Movement ATD Fourth
World proposes that the outcome document of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable
Development contain the following elements:

1- Outcomes from the Conference should be based on internationally agreed human rights
principles and standards. The work of the Human Rights Council in developing Guiding
Principles on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights provides a useful reference in developing a
human-rights based approach to sustainable development and poverty eradication. A rights-based
approach will ensure the following:

? Specific attention is given to the poorest and most vulnerable people who have been
historically, and remain at present, most affected by both environmental degradation, and
social and economic exclusion. Proposals on environmental protection, climate change
mitigation and adaptation and economic transition should include mechanisms to ensure that
benefits reach people living in extreme poverty. This should include guaranteeing a social
protection floor which enables universal access to social, economic and cultural rights.

? All sectors of society are able to participate in the planning, implementation and
assessment of sustainable development policies and programs, including people living
in extreme poverty. This requires relevant decision-making bodies at all levels to establish
specific mechanisms and institutional arrangements through which persons living in extreme
poverty can also effectively and meaningfully participate in all stages of decision-making
processes. Obstacles to participation must also be identified and addressed, such as lack of
access to relevant and understandable information and opportunity costs.

? Priority is given to climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies that build on
local knowledge and capacities, and empower local communities with the technologies,
financial resources and skills required in order for these strategies to be sustainable. To the
extent possible, small-scale, inclusively managed projects will be promoted and supported,
in order to protect the environment and improve the living conditions of people living in
poverty.

2 ? An outcome of the Conference to create Sustainable Development Goals must have at its
core the eradication of extreme poverty, in each of the three pillars of a sustainable development:
environmental, economic and social. This will ensure complementarity with efforts to achieve the
Millennium Development Goals. It will also contribute to the development of a post-2015
development framework that maintains the eradication of extreme poverty as a central aim.